With his co-driver Fabian Lurquin and their Prodrive Hunter, Loeb imposed a frantic pace and dominated from start to finish this 675 km stage, including 154 km of special, between Shaybah and Al-Hofuf in the east of Saudi Arabia on the gulf.

After seven stage victories since the start of the Dakar rally on December 31, the Loeb/Lurquin duo have pocketed 35 points for the world rally-raid championship, of which the Dakar is now the first round.

Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) continued to manage, conceding to Loeb only 5 min and 38 sec, a derisory time in view of the 1 hour and 21 min lead in the general classification over Loeb.

Swede Mattias Ekstrom and his hybrid Audi set the third fastest time, 6 min and 31 sec behind Loeb.

In the general classification, the young Brazilian Lucas Moraes clings to the podium, third less than a quarter of an hour from Loeb, ahead of more than an hour the 4th, Giniel De Villiers (SAF / TOYOTA).

For its 45 edition, the rally-raid set off on December 31 from the shores of the Red Sea near Yanbu (west) for two weeks of stage and more than 8,000 km which saw the abandonment of two of the favorites: the French Stéphane Peterhansel and Spaniard Carlos Sainz.

On the bikes, the race was very tight and there was a lot of suspense after the British title holder Sam Sunderland retired on the first stage.

On Saturday, it was Argentinian Kevin Benavides (KTM) who finally won the penultimate stage, propelling himself 12 seconds behind the provisional leader Toby Price.

Benavides, winner of the Dakar in 2021, stopped to assist Matthias Walkner at the start of the special, thus recovered 23 minutes, and thus stole the victory by 27 seconds from South African Michael Docherty, whose first Dakar.

Argentinian motorcycle rider Luciano Benavides, during the 12th stage of the Dakar, January 13, 2023 © FRANCK FIFE / AFP

Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna), 27, came third 57 seconds behind his brother Kevin, while Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) took fourth place (2 min and 05 sec) and Romain Dumontier, another amateur, the 6th (2 min and 32 sec from Benavides).

The Australian Toby Price (KTM) is 2 min and 28 sec behind the rider from Salta and retains the overall lead in extremis, with only 12 sec ahead of Benavides.

The American Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) remains in ambush, 3rd at 1 min and 31 sec from the Argentinian.

A pilot was also missing at the start of this penultimate stage: the fiery Californian Mason Klein (KTM), noticed at the start of this rally-raid, but who crashed several times, finally abandoned for medical reasons, according to ASO

© 2023 AFP